“This letter is from Jude, a slave of Jesus Christ and a brother of James. I am writing to all who have been called by God the Father, who loves you and keeps you safe in the care of Jesus Christ. May God give you more and more mercy, peace, and love. Dear friends, I had been eagerly planning to write to you about the salvation we all share. But now I find that I must write about something else, urging you to defend the faith that God has entrusted once for all time to his holy people. I say this because some ungodly people have wormed their way into your churches, saying that God’s marvelous grace allows us to live immoral lives. The condemnation of such people was recorded long ago, for they have denied our only Master and Lord, Jesus Christ. So I want to remind you, though you already know these things, that Jesus first rescued the nation of Israel from Egypt, but later he destroyed those who did not remain faithful. And I remind you of the angels who did not stay within the limits of authority God gave them but left the place where they belonged. God has kept them securely chained in prisons of darkness, waiting for the great day of judgment. And don’t forget Sodom and Gomorrah and their neighboring towns, which were filled with immorality and every kind of sexual perversion. Those cities were destroyed by fire and serve as a warning of the eternal fire of God’s judgment. In the same way, these people—who claim authority from their dreams—live immoral lives, defy authority, and scoff at supernatural beings. But even Michael, one of the mightiest of the angels, did not dare accuse the devil of blasphemy, but simply said, “The Lord rebuke you!” (This took place when Michael was arguing with the devil about Moses’ body.) But these people scoff at things they do not understand. Like unthinking animals, they do whatever their instincts tell them, and so they bring about their own destruction. What sorrow awaits them! For they follow in the footsteps of Cain, who killed his brother. Like Balaam, they deceive people for money. And like Korah, they perish in their rebellion. When these people eat with you in your fellowship meals commemorating the Lord’s love, they are like dangerous reefs that can shipwreck you. They are like shameless shepherds who care only for themselves. They are like clouds blowing over the land without giving any rain. They are like trees in autumn that are doubly dead, for they bear no fruit and have been pulled up by the roots. They are like wild waves of the sea, churning up the foam of their shameful deeds. They are like wandering stars, doomed forever to blackest darkness. Enoch, who lived in the seventh generation after Adam, prophesied about these people. He said, “Listen! The Lord is coming with countless thousands of his holy ones to execute judgment on the people of the world. He will convict every person of all the ungodly things they have done and for all the insults that ungodly sinners have spoken against him.” These people are grumblers and complainers, living only to satisfy their desires. They brag loudly about themselves, and they flatter others to get what they want.”
Jude 1:1-16 NLT
How we view ourselves matters. Jude called himself a slave of Jesus and brother of James. Jude was a brother of Jesus, too. At one time he did not believe in Jesus, but he realized that Jesus was more than his brother; He was his Lord. His opinion about Jesus changed, and he considered himself a slave of Jesus Christ. Jude’s life was transformed.
Jude gave a strong warning against false teachers, who had found their way into the church and were twisting the freedom of Christ as an excuse for sin. They claimed their authority was from dreams and visions, and they bragged about their “spirituality” in front of others. All of this was to get what they selfishly desired. But the fruit of following Jesus is not that we get everything we want but that our wants change. Our old desires die, and God gives us a new heart and His Spirit to desire His way. This is the fulfillment and satisfaction of our deepest desires.
We are sometimes our own false teachers. The words we say to ourselves are not always filled with God’s love and truth. Sometimes we are too hard on ourselves and say things to ourselves that are not true, forgetting God’s grace and love extends to our lives as well. Sometimes we are too easy on ourselves and allow ourselves to do things that are clearly wrong.
How has Jesus transformed your life? How can you stay on guard against false teaching – including false words you say to yourself?
